J. Michael Straczynski Teases He Would Love The Doctor Who Showrunner Job Amid Show's Uncertain Future
J. Michael Straczynski has been fueling rumors about the future of Doctor Who by stating he’d love to be a showrunner on the show, but no one has approached him yet.
Earlier this year, J. Michael Stracyznski, the creator of Babylon 5 announced that he would be moving to the United Kingdom after recent Babylon 5 reboot projects had stalled. While he was careful not to divulge what he was working on, he implied there might be a reboot of Blake’s 7 on his wishlist. However, fans immediately speculated that he might be working on another sci-fi property, Doctor Who.
At the same time, rumors of Russell T. Davies getting sacked spread on the internet, fueled partially by Davies’ own comments on David Tennant’s podcast that made it sound like he might be making an exit on the show.
After a dismal couple of seasons, Ncuti Gatwa left, Disney refused to re-up an investment in the show, and the future of Doctor Who has been uncertain.
Doctor Who Production News posted to X as rumors began to swirl about the timing of JMS moving and Doctor Who needing a showrunner. They stated, “Because J. Michael Straczynski is coming to the UK to work on a production, people have been speculating that it’s ‘Doctor Who’. Straczynski said on BIueSky and Reddit that he’s not working on Doctor Who.”
While a fan noted it would be too good to be true, the account posted, “It is true. He’s quite angry with the person posting false information. He’s working on something else and I look forward to eventually finding out what it is. I’m intrigued because I enjoyed Babylon 5.”
While no one has stated it’s a certainty, Tachyon Pulse Podcast has been speculating that Stracyznski might be a logical choice for the series. He’s also stated that JMS has been mad at him ove his Babylon 5 coverage, so it might be a situation where the X account for Doctor Who news is conflating topics.
Straczynski quote-tweeted this latter post, saying, “Not correct. I'm not working on and not-not working on anything because there have simply been no conversations either way because I'm just getting into the swimming pool. Nothing is included or precluded, all options are open.”
He started speculating about his possibility of working for the show, saying, “I suppose the questions is, would Doctor Who fans be willing to accept an American, even a hardcore anglophile with a UK visa, for such an inherently British series, given Babylon 5 and Sense8 and the like? Would I be worthy?”
In a prior post, he also mentioned he would definitely like the job, saying, “Totally get that, just wanted to manage expectations and be clear. I would love nothing more in life than to take on that job, it'd be the thrill of a lifetime, but we'll see.”
Whether Straczynski would be in consideration for Doctor Who showrunner remains to be seen. Russell T. Davies has stated he’s written an entire new season of the show, but it was with Gatwa in mind, and now that’s out the window. With the Billie Piper reveal at the end of the last episode, anything seems to be possible.
What do you think of the idea of J. Michael Stracyznski writing for Doctor Who? Leave a comment and let us know.
For a great alternative to mainstream science fiction that Doctor Who and Babylon 5 fans will love, with spy thriller action, read The Stars Entwined on Amazon!
NEXT: Insiders Confirm Disney Is Not Renewing Doctor Who Deal, And The BBC Is Desperately Seeking A Production Partner
Nope. JMS is too woke to reboot the Doc.
After all, he’s talking about rebooting his greatest story just for modern audiences.
I don't know about this. I really enjoyed B5 but that was another time. If he were to take on Dr Who it's likely he'd continue the woke path of RTD. Maybe not so in your face, but it would be there.